


Conditional Love

by kuraleap52



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Conditional Love, Jealousy, Toxic boyfriend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:34:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26484988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuraleap52/pseuds/kuraleap52
Summary: "Rae. I wanna talk. Please," his voice almost desperate standing outside her locked bedroom door as she packed for the road."Fine." She slowly made her way to the door and let him in."Thank you," he mumbled as he stepped into her room, avoiding eye contact. They both took their seats on her bed. It didn't take long for Charlie to start talking again. "I'm sorry for overreacting and shit. I just- I want to make sure you're in a stable, healthy relationship. You'd tell me if something bad was happening with him right?"She hesitated slightly before nodding rapidly. Luckily for her Charlie didn't catch on. Instead, he just took her hand in his."And if something does happen, you can always come stay at my apartment. As long as you don't mind JD and his messiness," he chuckled.'Oh, right,'  she thought. 'Jake DeBrusk. The cute, dorky roommate and best friend of Charlie that I maybe, kinda have a crush on.'
Relationships: Jake DeBrusk/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. Denial

**Author's Note:**

> *TRIGGER WARNING* This fic contains a verbal, emotional, and physically abusive boyfriend. It will also eventually contain some graphic depictions of violence and blood. If you're not okay with reading that, I advise you don't read this fic. Anyways, I hope you enjoy reading :)

As the younger sister of Charlie McAvoy, Raena always had her big brother being skeptical and overprotective over the guys she's dated. Ever since she started dating guys in sixth grades he would always have something to say about it. 

"He seems mean."

"Where are you guys going to lunch?"

"Why him? He's the most stuck up guy in your grade."

And most of the time he was wrong about them. _Most._ But he wasn't wrong about this guy. 

Following in her brother's footsteps, she had gone to Boston University. Unfortunately for her, Charlie had already gone pro by the time she was a freshman. But there were some upsides to that, like Charlie not controlling every one of her relationships.

She met Shayne a few months into her freshman year walking to one of her classes with a coffee in hand. She liked to think it was fate, as she had read so many fanfictions in the past about couples meeting that way.

At first it seemed like it was fate, as he treated her like a princess. Always being polite, giving compliment, etc... She was so in love it caused her to look right passed his flaws and toxic traits.

* * *

She was nervous about her family meeting him, but she brought him to their Long Island home during the summer anyways. She introduced him to her parents and they seemed to really like him. Then came the part she was dreading, introducing him to Charlie.

"Charlie, this is Shayne," she gave him a small smile as Shayne held out his hand to shake. Charlie shook his hand and smiled, but Raena could tell it wasn't sincere.

"Nice to meet you, man. I've heard all about you," Charlie playfully rolled his eyes at her.

"Same here. She talks about you all the time," he replied. 

"What's your major?"

"Computer Science." 

Raena could tell this conversation wasn't going anywhere as awkward silence engulfed the men.

"Shayne, why don't I show you my bedroom? If you'll excuse us, Charlie," she grabbed Shayne's hand and gave Charlie a smile.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll talk to you later," Charlie smiled back and gave a wave to Shayne as the couple made their way up the staircase.

* * *

"Why don't you like my boyfriend?" Raena abruptly asked Charlie as she stepped into his bedroom. Charlie attempted looking taken aback, but Raena could see right through his half-assed attempt at acting. Eventually, Charlie sighed, admitting defeat.

"I just- I mean sure, he seems nice. But there's something about him. It's like he's putting on a mask. I can see it in his eyes," Charlie pleaded, trying to get Raena to understand. Instead, she just rolled her eyes.

"You don't know _anything_ about him. He is the sweetest guy I know. Stop jumping to conclusions and making uneducated assumptions about my boyfriends! Seriously, just get to know him more," she yelled before turning away and walking out of the door before Charlie could respond.

* * *

Throughout the couple weeks Raena and Shayne spent together, Charlie did try to make an effort to get to know Shayne better, which Raena greatly appreciated. She was secretly eavesdropping on their conversations and they seemed completely normal. 

Although she didn't have another conversation with Charlie about Shayne before she left, but she wanted to know if his opinion of Shayne had changed.

_Rae- ur opionion on Shayne change?_

_Chuck- ..yea. seems alright._

_Rae- 👍_

She silently sighed a sigh of relief. This was the first time Charlie had actually been okay with her boyfriends, so she felt extremely happy. The hard part was over, or so she thought.

* * *

Their relationship thrived throughout the summer, but once their sophomore year started things started getting a bit bumpy. He started commenting on her appearance and attitude a lot. And not in a good way.

"Maybe we should work out together so that dress can fit you better."

"Why are you in a bad mood? Are you on your period?"

"Maybe you shouldn't wear that dress. It's not very... flattering."

"You should put on a smile for our date. You never smile anymore and you're making it seem like you're not happy with me."

"Have you been eating more at dining hall? No? Seems like it."

"You should wear makeup. It'll make you look pretty."

She tried ignoring and or agreeing with his comments, as it made him happy whenever she did. And that's all she wanted. For him to be happy.

* * *

By the time Thanksgiving rolled around, Raena and Shayne got into a huge argument over where they would celebrate it. Shayne of course wanted Raena to visit his hometown in New Jersey with him so she could meet his family. But Raena explained to him that Thanksgiving was a big deal to her family and she wasn't going to miss out on it. She tried reasoning with him that she would visit his family for Christmas. Instead of listening to her compromise, he simply knocked down a picture frame she had of them on her dresser, stormed out of the room, and slammed the door, leaving her to sob on the floor. She, like the picture frame glass, was broken after that argument.

Arriving in Long Island, she was simply exhausted, as she couldn't sleep the night before after her fight with Shayne. She tried her best to make it seem like everything was fine as she entered the doorway of her home, where her family greeted her with lot's of hugs.

Once she had greeted everyone, the overwhelming feeling of needing to take a nap took over. "Hey, mom. I'm going to go take a nap if that's okay. I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Oh, of course. If you need us we'll be in the living room playing board games," her mother smiled, patting her arm before heading into the living room where Raena's aunts and uncles were fixing up a board game on their hard wood floor.

* * *

Charlie knew from the second his sister walked in the door that something was wrong. She just looked _tired._ And she's never tired. She was wearing a fake smile that Charlie could see right through. She ignored his concerned eye contact, knowing what would happen if she looked at him. 

He obviously let her nap, but as soon as she woke up he jumped at the opportunity to talk to her.

Charlie was being crushed by his twelve year old cousin in Candyland, and was not having a good time.

"Are you guys in the middle of a game or...?" Raena asked, slowly walking into the living room with a small smile.

"You know what? I'm actually getting my butt whooped in Candyland right now, but I think we should talk," Charlie quickly spit out, getting up from his seat on the floor and guiding his sister back up the staircase. He could hear whispers from his family members wondering what was going on, but he ignored them.

Raena could feel the frustration that was coming of Charlie as he guided her into his room. They sat on his bed with a thump and let the awkward silence take over.

"Charlie, I'm really just tired," Raena tried convincing him, though just like her fake smile, he could hear right through it.

"That's bullshit and you know it," he barked.

"Well, it's the truth. I didn't get much sleep last night.." Her words faded into silence as if she was going to say something else after that. 

"Why?"

"I-"

"I'm only going to ask this once, and I _will_ tell if you're lying to me. Is this about Shayne?"

"Yes-"

"I fucking knew it," Charlie growled. She gave him an annoyed and frustrated look. "Well what happened? Did you get into a fight?" He questioned with a frantic voice.

"It's none of your fucking business. I'm sure you're all happy you were finally right about one of my boyfriends though, aren't you?" She gave him a sarcastic smile and flipped him off as she stomped out of his room, ignoring his call after her.

Instead, she walked into her room and flopped down on her bed, letting the sobs fall into her pillow. She knew this was going to be a long two days.

* * *

Raena did her best to ignore Charlie's worried and apologetic glares at her across the dinner table. She also did her best to ignore his pleading texts and calls, which she found utterly ridiculous, considering they were in the same house. It wasn't until their final minutes spending time with their family that he finally got to her.

"Rae. I wanna talk. Please," his voice almost desperate standing outside her locked bedroom door as she packed for the road.

"Fine." She slowly made her way to the door and let him in.

"Thank you," he mumbled as he stepped into her room, avoiding eye contact. They both took their seats on her bed. It didn't take long for Charlie to start talking again. "I'm sorry for overreacting and shit. I just- I want to make sure you're in a stable, healthy relationship. You'd tell me if something bad was happening with him right?"

She hesitated slightly before nodding rapidly. Luckily for her Charlie didn't catch on. Instead, he just took her hand in his.

"And if something does happen, you can always come stay at my apartment. As long as you don't mind JD and his messiness," he chuckled. 

_'Oh, right,'_ she thought. _'Jake DeBrusk. The cute, dorky roommate and best friend of Charlie that I maybe, kinda have a crush on.'_

"Have you not lived in the same house as me for the past sixteen years? I'm so fucking messy," she laughed for the first time in awhile, putting a smile on Charlie's face.

"How could I possibly forget."

* * *

A month had passed since Charlie and Raena had had that conversation, and things had only gotten worse from there. Shayne was not only controlling her life, but started getting really angry when she resisted him.

"I told you this morning I wanted to get dinner together tonight. So we're getting dinner tonight."

"Quit being such a pussy and just put on makeup. Don't want you looking bad in public."

"Why the fuck don't you want to have lunch with me?! Quit looking on the ground. Look me in the eyes when I talk to you."

"Everyone thinks we've broken up. You haven't posted any pictures of me on social media. Post pictures of us or I'll post some personal pictures of you."

"My god, you never shut up. Just listen to me and be fucking quit for once."

Raena didn't know how to feel about meeting Shayne's family for Christmas. A good thing about it was that they would constantly be around people, meaning he wouldn't verbally abuse her. But she was super nervous his family was going to be just like him. 

It was just her luck that a snow storm was approaching Boston fast on Christmas Eve, the day they were supposed to drive to New Jersey.

"Damn. This sucks. I would've loved to meet you family," she said apologetically with a fake smile. He nodded and ran his hands through his hair.

"Yeah, me too."

_Chuck- guess ur not driving to jersey now?_

_Rae- yeah, why?_

_Chuck- was thinkin u could come over and have dinner with JD and I. U guys could crash here for the night too_

_Rae- wow, okay! u sure theres enough space?_

_Chuck- the guys crash here all the time, so yes there's enough space_

_Rae- sweet! Lemme just run this by Shayne first_

"Babe, what did I say about texting right in front of me? It's fucking rude," he spit out, glaring at her as she looked up from her phone.

"Sorry, babe. I was just texting Charlie. He says we're invited over his place tonight to have dinner with him and his roommate, Jake. Are you down?"

Shayne took a moment to process before nodding with some uncertainty. 

"Sure."

_'My kinda, sort of, crush, brother, boyfriend, and me having dinner. What could possibly go wrong?'_


	2. A Taste Of Happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake greeted Charlie and Raena at the door once again with a smile. Charlie carried her suitcase inside while Jake pulled her into a hug she could actually enjoy. They may have hugged a bit longer than friends would, but neither seemed to mind.
> 
> "So, here is the one rule," Jake dramatically pointed a finger at her. "Absolutely no stealing my oreos. Those are mine and mine only."
> 
> "Oh, of course. Oreos are too sweet for me, anyways." Jake dramatically gasped and put a hand on his heart.
> 
> "Are- are you kidding me? The disrespect!" He chuckled. "Oh well. Now I guess I won't have to worry about you stealing any," they both laughed. 
> 
> And just like that she knew she was never gonna want to leave this place.

Despite Raena's complaining, she ultimately ended up dressing up nice and putting on makeup for the dinner.

"You ready to go, babe?" Shayne called from the living room of their shared apartment, impatiently awaiting his girlfriend.

"Yep," she replied, walking out of the bathroom and into the living room with a backpack of clothes packed, where she greeted Shayne with that signature fake smile.

"You look great. Let's go," he smiled and opened the door for her as she approached the door.

* * *

The snowstorm had lightened up just enough for the couple to be able to walk to Charlie and Jake's apartment. And although she sought warmth, she felt mildly uncomfortable when Shayne put his arm around her. Minutes later they were walking towards Jake and Charlie's apartment door and Shayne still had his arm around her.

"Hey, guys! Come on in!" Charlie greeted the couple at the door with a smile. Fortunately for Raena, he let go of her so she could walk into the apartment before him. She was glad she went first because she swore she froze at the sight of Jake DeBrusk, sitting at the kitchen table, wearing that big smile of his. It was really unbelievable how magnetic his smile was.

"Hey, Raena! How are you?" Raena's smile appeared and disappeared within seconds as Jake stood up from his seat to greet her with a hug. She knew this would not go over well with Shayne. She could practically feel Shayne's glare at the back of her head as Jake hugged her.

"I'm good. How are you?"

"Doin' pretty good. Team's vibin' right now so..." he chuckled as he walked back to his seat. She smiled and finally got the opportunity to look at the meal that sat at the table just waiting to be eaten. A seemingly perfect looking ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, gravy, and rolls. The smell of it made Raena's mouth water.

"This food looks amazing! Who cooked it?" Raena complimented as she took her seat at the table across from Jake.

"That would me be. I'm sort of the best chef eva," Jake and Rae laughed.

"Don't be telling lies to my sister, you weirdo," Charlie commented as he approached the table with Shayne at his side.

"It's not lies. It's facts, bro."

"Yeah, whatever," Charlie chuckled. "Let's eat!" He raised his fork and knife dramatically.

* * *

So far the dinner was going well. Mostly because the whole topic of conversation was the way their season was going and even though it was early, they were confident they were going to do well in the playoffs. And that's the way Raena wanted it to be.

"So, love birds. How are things with school?" Jake asked the seemingly perfect couple. Raena opened her mouth to speak, but Shayne put his hand on her thigh and she gasped.

"Things are well. This semester's flying by, isn't it, babe?" Shayne asked his still slightly freaked out girlfriend. She was looking down out of embarrassment, but didn't miss the concerned glance Jake flew Charlie's way.

"Right. R-really flying by," she tried chuckling, but it just came out as a sort of awkward cough.

"And relationship wise, things are going great," she managed not to gasp this time as he took her hand in his. It took her a second to realize all eyes were on her, so she put on her fake smile that she was getting oh so good at. 

"Yep, so great," she repeated, turning to look in Shayne's eyes. That was one thing Charlie was initially spot on about Shayne. His eyes were cold. Light, light blue that made them look nearly white. Also, there just wasn't much life in them. They just looked strange.

"That's awesome. I'm happy for you two," Charlie smiled, while particularly staring at Raena. He gave her a _'what the fuck is going on between you two'_ look. Raena just smiled back at him, as it was all she could do at the moment.

* * *

The topic of conversation quickly went back to hockey and luckily for Raena, it stayed there. And although they were no longer talking about Raena and Shayne's relationship, Jake and Charlie kept sending Raena worried glances from across the table. It wasn't until nearly midnight that Raena and Charlie got to talk. Even if it was just through text.

Shayne had fallen asleep on the air mattress in the living room while Raena laid uncomfortably on the couch only a few feet away from him.

_Chuck- wtf was that at dinner_

_Rae- idk what u mean_

_Chuck- bullshit. u were clearly uncomfortable_

_Rae- i was just spaced out. that's why i acted a bit late._

_Chuck- really? that's your fucking excuse?_

_Rae- it's not an excuse, asshole. i've been spacing out a lot lately out of stress and shit_

_Chuck- uh huh. well you and Shayne need to talk out ur issues. i won't fucking sit here and say nothing about this shit_

_Rae- fine. we'll talk_

_Chuck- good. lemme know how it goes_

_Rae- k_

* * *

"That was fucking weird at dinner, man. The way she clearly looked like.. afraid of him," Jake commented from across the room in his bed. Charlie sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"It's been going on for over a month... fuck!" Charlie whisper-shouted.

"You knew this was going on?"

"I already feel awful about this, JD. I don't need your fucking commentary," Charlie barked. 

"...I'm sorry, man. What uh.. what did she say about him? If you uh don't mind me asking."

"She showed up to our house on Thanksgiving with the biggest eye bags I've ever seen and a fake ass smile. I asked her about it afterwards and she said she didn't sleep because her and Shayne got into a pretty big fight," Charlie sighed. "She said she would fucking handle it," he whispered to himself.

"You should for sure let her stay over here for a bit. It looks like they need some time to themselves," Jake suggested.

"I told her she could stay here on Thanksgiving, but I think I'm going to force her to stay here. Just for like a few days or so. They do need time apart. Thanks, JD."

"No problem, bro."

* * *

"You want me to stay here?" Raena asked Charlie as they sat on his bed to talk the following morning.

"Yeah, just for a few days. You two could use the time apart." She sat frozen on his bed, deep in thought.

_'It sounds really nice. Even if it is only for a few days. Spending time with JD and Charlie sounds like fun. But how will Shayne react? I'm sure he won't like the idea. He'll probably protest it.'_

"I'll do it," she gave him a small, genuine smile. "Will you come back to my apartment with me to help me pack?" She asked, hoping he wouldn't be suspect the only reason she was asking was because she didn't want to be alone with Shayne.

"Sure," he smiled.

* * *

Her plan worked and she didn't have to spend a second of time alone with Shayne. They awkwardly hugged before she walked out of their door with Charlie and a suitcase. 

"So, how long are you planning on staying here?" Charlie asked as they approached his apartment complex.

"I don't know... five or six days?" She suggested.

"Oh, no. I don't care how long you stay. Take all the time you need," he reassured her.

"Thanks, bro. It'll probably be like five days," she informed him.

"Okay. Give me a heads up if you change your mind about that.

* * *

Jake greeted Charlie and Raena at the door once again with a smile. Charlie carried her suitcase inside while Jake pulled her into a hug she could actually enjoy. They may have hugged a bit longer than friends would, but neither seemed to mind.

"So, here is the one rule," Jake dramatically pointed a finger at her. "Absolutely no stealing my oreos. Those are mine and mine only."

"Oh, of course. Oreos are too sweet for me, anyways." Jake dramatically gasped and put a hand on his heart.

"Are- are you kidding me? The _disrespect!"_ He chuckled. "Oh well. Now I guess I won't have to worry about you stealing any," they both laughed. 

And just like that she knew she was never gonna want to leave this place.

* * *

With not much to do during Christmas vacation, the three young adults came up with other activities. Those activities included video games, baking, binging netflix shows, and taking a walk.

It was oddly calming walking on a path in a park somewhere just outside of Boston, snow surrounding them by just inches to the left and right.

"This is so peaceful," Charlie kept turning his head all around to get a good look at everything. "Wish some of these benches were cleared of snow though. I'm already tired."

"I'm not a professional hockey player and even I'm not tired. Toughen up, Cheeks," Rae chuckled and looked to her right, where Charlie stood in between her and Jake.

"Whatever," he whispered with a playful smile.

"I got an idea where we can sit," JD suggested, catching the siblings attention.

"Right... heeeer-" The rest of his word was cut off as he jumped into the three foot high snow bank to his right. Raena laughed her ass off at the moment, while Charlie called into the snow for Jake.

"Bro, you good?" Jake responded by doing his signature hand gesture. That was enough of an invitation for Raena, as she leapt into the same snow bank as Jake, just a little more to the left of him so she wouldn't fall on top of him.

"Fuck it," Charlie chuckled before jumping into it himself, followed by lot's of giggles and chirps from Raena and Jake.

"How dumb do you have to be to jump face first into a-" Jake's sentence turned into more giggles as Charlie's head alone popped up from the snow, covered in snow and ice that was already melting on his face, turning it into a dark red shade.

"Ha-ha. So fucking funny. You know I'm sure both of your asses have tons of snow on them," Charlie responded to his best friend and sister hysterically laughing at his state.

"Wait. How the fuck are we supposed to get out of here?" Raena asked mostly playfully, but with a hint of seriousness. She tried moving her arms and legs around to move the snow, but it was no use.

"Climb?" Charlie told her, confused by her seemingly dumb question.

"I'm 5'4, dumbass. I may have had the hops to get in here, but I cannot get out," she chuckled nervously, feeling that this may be a legitimate concern now.

"I can help," Jake suggested, making his own way out of the snow, sending Charlie into a laughing fit at the sight of him.

"Oh yeah, Cheeks? I'd like to see you when u climb outta there," Jake pointed an accusing finger, trying not to laugh. "Aight. Take my hands and I'll pull you out," Jake told her with reassuring eyes. She nodded and gave him a small smile before taking his hands. They were warm of course, unlike her own hands due to the fact she didn't have any gloves. 

Jake slowly started to back up and Rae felt snow pushing up against her. Eventually, he managed to pull her out. She came at him full speed once all the snow was out of her way to slow her down, sending her falling onto his chest. 

"Are you okay?" She whispered as they looked into each others eyes.

"Yeah, you?," he said breathlessly, partially due to the collision and partially due to being caught up in the heat of the moment.

"Yeah," she replied, just as breathless for the same reasons.

"Alright, I'm coming out. No one look at me," Charlie announced as Raena quickly climbed off Jake. They scrambled to their feet and awaited his adventure out of the snowbank. 

"You sound like an insecure girl going clothes shopping with her mom," Jake chirped at what Charlie had said. Charlie huffed.

"That's- that's a good one," he chuckled while making his way out of the snowbank using only the strength in his legs.

"All you need is a carrot and stick arms and you're a snowman," Raena chuckled at Charlie's clothes covered head to toe in snow.

"You can't be talking you look the same," he fired back with a playful grin.

"Let's all agree we look like snowmen- and a snow women," Jake added with a chuckle.

"Good catch," she pointed a finger.

* * *

"How do you already suck at this?" Jake chirped Raena as she poured some water into the mixing bowl.

"What the fuck do you mean? That was perfect!" She fired back.

"How would you know? You didn't even measure the amount of water you put in there!"

"The best chefs don't need measuring tools. They simply know when there's enough water," she flicked her already held back hair up in a hair tie.

"Says you. I'm _the best chef._ And I use measuring tools."

"Will you two shut the fuck up? I'm trynna watch a movie here!" Charlie yelled from the living room, which was only a few feet away from the kitchen.

"Fine. I'll use the measuring tools," she admitted defeat as she grabbed the measuring cup and filled it up with the correct amount of vegetable oil.

"There you go. I'm such a good teacher," Jake praised himself while shooing away imaginary fans of his. "Oh, stop it. You're too kind. Well, yeah. I am the best chef ever," he told his imaginary fans.

"You heard Charlie. Shut the _fuck_ up," she gave him an annoyed smile as she slowly poured the vegetable oil into the mixing bowl.

-

Jake and Raena proceeded to annoy Charlie for the thirty minutes they had to wait for their brownies to bake.

"Hey, I hear your alarm for the brownies. Time for you two to get the fuck out of my face," Charlie sarcastically grinned as they both got up off the couch and headed to the kitchen.

"I gottem," Raena told him as she put on an oven mitt. Jake nodded as he took out a cloth for the pan to cool on. But as he was doing that he heard a yelp from Raena.

"Shit!" She cussed as she practically threw the pan onto the cloth, shaking her left hand that had no oven mitt on. Jake, wide eyed and concerned, shut the oven door so she wouldn't trip on it, and started running cool water from the sink.

"What the hell happened?" Charlie called from the couch.

"I was an idiot and accidentally placed my bare hand down on the oven rack," she hissed as the burn started to turn a bright red on her palm.

"Uh, anything I can do?" Jake put his hand on her shoulder, feeling helpless.

"Nah, It'll be fine. Just hurts," she sighed.

"How bad is it?" Charlie asked, finally rising from his seat with a slightly worried tone. His own question was answered as he saw the palm of Raena's hand was red all over. He huffed a sigh. "I'll get you a wet cloth so you don't have to run your hand under that water forever," Charlie said as he left to find a cloth in the storage closet.

"Have you ever had any burns like this, chef JD?" Raena asked with a bit of a playful smirk.

"Nah. I'm not a dumbass like you," he chirped, followed by his own loud laughter.

"That's so fucking funny. You're the biggest dumbass I know."

"Oh yeah?" He raised his eyebrows, his tone inviting.

"Yeah," she smirked as they both took a step closer, their faces inches apart. And as they stared into each others eyes for one long, tension filled moment, it was burst when Charlie walked back in the room. The two immediately separated, as if the moment never happened.

"Here, Rae," he smiled, handing her a blue cloth.

"Thanks, Chuck," she whispered. JD checked the brownie box to see when they could cut up the brownies.

"Twenty more minutes? That's bullshit," he chuckled, tossing the box aside with genuine disappointment.

"More time to annoy Charlie!" Raena cheered.

"Yeah! Time to annoy Charlie!"

"Fuck both of you."

* * *

"Ha! You guys fucking _suck!_ I thought you were the best video game players on the team?" She chirped them, as she had just beaten them in mario kart for the fourth time in a row.

"You were always better than me at this game and you know it," Charlie rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and heaving a sigh.

"Not surprising," Jake fake coughed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Charlie tried not to laugh.

"That you suck at this game. I mean, who came in second each of the last four times?" Jake playfully shrugged his shoulders, wearing a shit-eating grin. Charlie chuckled, shoving his arm.

"Whatever, asshole. Let's go again. I'll come in second, just you watch."

-

Charlie did end up living up to his statement, as he ended up coming in second place.

"Ha! Take that you fucking loser!"

"Says you! I beat you 4/5 times!"

"Shut up," Charlie said quietly, not wanting to admit defeat. "I'm going to get Rae some gauze for her burn. I'll be back in ten," Charlie announced, grabbing his coat and keys before heading out of the door.

"...So. Do you have Just Dance?"

-

"Woo!" Jake let out pants as the video game had severely tired him out.

"That was a close one. We're tied now. You down for a thrilling game three?" She asked him with a chuckle, using deep breaths as well.

"Of course. Sorry in advance for whooping your ass."

"No need. It'll be the other way around," they looked at each other with competitive eyes.

Although the video game was only looking for you to get your hand motions correct, Raena and Jake also liked to do the feet motions too. 

"It's no fun just standing there and moving you hand," Jake had said to her, to which she agreed.

The game was pretty much even, and it all came down to the last couple moves. 

"FUCK YEAH!" Jake hollered at the end result of the dance battle, which had Jake as the winner. Raena sighed in defeat and dramatically fell to her hands and knees.

"Nooooooo," she cried out, her hands out to her side and her head looking towards the sky.

"You may be the mario kart queen, but I am the Just Dance King," Jake snuck up behind her and whispered in her ear. She purposely just sat there for a couple moments before turning around and tackling Jake to the ground. Lot's of giggles came from Rae and Jake as she fake punched him over and over again in the face.

"Okay, okay! I tap out!" He slammed the ground with his hand and chuckled.

"Oh, I'm not done with you yet," she smirked getting up. JD licked his lips expecting something completely different than what Raena was planning. Instead of planting a kiss on his lips, she tapped her elbow twice and got ready to put an end to JD. He quickly moved out of the way, but still caught her elbow to his gut. She fell down beside him and they panted, out of breath by their wrestling and dance moves.

"You done?" He turned to face her with a smile.

"For now," she turned to face him, raising her eyebrows. They burst into laughter and turned back to face the ceiling as they tried to suck in enough oxygen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is such a fluffy chapter aww :) Hope you enjoyed! Kudos are appreciated :)


	3. The Plan

It had been ten days since Raena had moved in with Charlie and Jake. She knew it couldn't go on any longer, so she decided she would be heading home. After returning home from a brief morning skate, the boys helped her pack for her return to the place she no longer considered home. She wanted her home to be with Jake and Charlie. The last ten days had been nothing but happiness for her. And now she was returning to her abusive boyfriend.

"All set, Rae?" Charlie asked his sister as they headed out of his apartment complex.

"Yeah," she said softly but with a small smile to try an reassure him she was genuine about it. It worked, and he didn't press more about the topic. Instead, they just walked in silence back to her apartment.

Walking up the stairs, she felt a pang of anxiety. A pang that was telling her, "this is a mistake. This is a bad idea. He's going to hurt you. You're going to regret this." Despite all the anxiety telling her not to, she walked through the door, where her boyfriend sat on the couch looking at his phone. He jerked his head up to look at them. For a split second a flash of fury and anger flew across his face, but that quickly changed to a fake smile.

"Hey, Rae. Hey, Charlie," he greeted them, standing up and approaching them.

"Hey, man," Charlie mumbled before walking past him and into Rae's room to put her suitcase in there.

"We'll talk later," he threateningly whispered in Raena's ear once Charlie was gone. It sent a chill down her spine, but she managed a nod before looking up into his cold, dead eyes filled with numbness. Nowhere near the type of light and joy those eyes once held just a few months ago. 

"Alright, is there anything else you guys need, or are you good?" Charlie asked as he reproached the couple standing awkwardly next to the doorway.

"Nope, I think we're good. Thanks anyways. See you around," Shayne gave him a smile as he took Raena's hand, which she surprisingly didn't have a reaction to. Charlie took that as a good sign and smiled before walking out of the door.

"Listen-"

"No, _you_ listen! We are having a talk about this!"

"Okay! Okay, but can we have it at a coffee shop or something? It's lunchtime and I haven't eaten," she pleaded, desperate to not be alone with him. He heavily sighed before rolling his eyes.

"Fine," he growled. "Let's go."

* * *

"Why were you there so long? I thought it'd only be five or six days," he clenched his fists around his fork as he picked up a piece of the pasta he ordered.

"I lost track of time," she mumbled, stuffing some salad into her mouth. She wasn't a big fan of salad, but Shayne insisted it would help her lose a couple pounds.

"Bullshit!" He said a little too loud as people around him started staring. "Sorry, sorry," he mumbled to the people.

"I'm sorry, ok?" She begged for forgiveness.

"You know what, I personally didn't mind you not being there. It did me a favor not having a fat, ugly bitch in my life for a few days. But rumors around campus started being spread about us being toxic and broken up. And you know how much my rep means to me, right?" He gave her a forced smile with crazy eyes. She nodded. "Good. Which means from now on I want you by my sides at all times. You will do as I say and tell me everywhere you go. Got it?"

"Yes, Shayne," she said, her voice trembling a bit from the fear. 

"Good girl."

* * *

It had only been two weeks since she'd moved back in, but things had already been much, much worse than before. First of all, she wasn't enjoying telling Shayne everything she did and everywhere she went. On day two she tried lying about where she was going, but he somehow found out. Secondly, physical abuse became a regular thing. He'd slap her, grab her arms violently, leaving bruises, and sometimes kick or punch her. It was not a pleasant experience. 

Between catching up on schoolwork and Shayne's abuse, she was desperate for an escape. And luckily, she got one in the form of her chubby cheeked brother, Charlie. 

_Chuck- heyy surprise! i got u and Shayne tickets against the glass for this Saturdays game! i better not have plans and if u do.. cancel :)_

_Rae- omg! ofc im coming! thank u sm ❤_

_Chuck- anytime ☺_

She put her phone down with a smile, just thinking about how she had the best brother. 

"What are you smiling about?" Shayne asked, approaching her and snatching her phone from her hands. The smile immediately faded from her face.

"Ahh, a bruins game on Saturday? I'm so in. You should've checked with me first, though. Do better next time," he unexpectedly tossed her phone back at her chest and walked back into their bed room. Once she made sure he was out of the room, she sighed a deep, shaky sigh. It felt good. She ran her hand through her hair and fiddled with her fingers thinking about Saturday. Was it really such a good idea? She hadn't seen them in a bit, and things had changed since then. But, she missed them, so she figured it would be worth it. 

* * *

"Hi!" Charlie mouthed from the other side of the glass as he skated past Rae and Shayne. She smiled back and waved as if she were a twelve year old crazed fan of his. 

"You're embarrassing yourself, stop it," he whispered in her ear. Once again, her smile immediately faded. 

"I was just trying to have fun. Is that a problem?" She whispered back.

"When you're acting like a fucking child it is. Now sit the fuck down," he grabbed her wrists and sat both of them down with great force. She gasped as she felt his fingers digging into her skin, despite her wearing a jersey and sweatshirt. She tried her best to keep her eyes down, as she feared she would have a concerned pair of eyeballs staring daggers into her eyes from the ice. "Hey, look up at me," his tone was inviting, but in a scary way. She knew something was off. She slowly turned her head to look into his still cold eyes. He smiled a sinister smile. "Don't disrespect me like that in public. Or ever. Got it?" His freezing fingers reached her chin. At first they stayed still, but then as he continued speaking they tightly wrapped around her chin and she winced.

"I got it," she said softly. He nodded at her and smiled before retracting his fingers and turning away to pull out his phone. She did the same, still avoiding looking at the ice. But it didn't matter how long she'd avoid them, they already saw the whole thing and were furious.

* * *

"It is _showtime!_ " I shouted as I skated laps around our zone. I quickly spotted Rae and her boyfriend. She was smiling so wide with the genuine happiness she had left us with. But that happiness was gone in an instant as I came to a stop to stretch next to Charlie. We were across the ice from them, but were watching closely at everything that was happening between them.

"What the _fuck._ " Charlie growled, seeing the way he had put his hands on her. The way she looked timid, the opposite of what she had been with us. The way her eyes were begging for help. The same way they were on Christmas Eve. I fought the urge to turn around and punch the side boards.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" I swore instead, effectively releasing my anger with a snarl. "What are we going to do, Chuck?" I turned to look at my best friend, who looked like a demon had taken over him. I could practically see the steam coming out of his ears. His cheeks were very red, his eyebrows were furrowed, and he had a certain look in his eye. He looked down at the ice to think and process everything that was happening. 

"She's never going to fucking admit to us there's a problem. So we'll just have to catch him red-handed," he turned to look at Jake with a determined face. A face that was full with more anger than after the 2019 Cup Final. Jake simply nodded, returning his friends same determined face.

* * *

"So, Chuck," Jake addressed his friend in the abandoned locker room after their 4-2 win over the Blackhawks. "How are we going to catch Shayne in the act? We gonna sneak into their apartment?" 

"I hadn't thought it through, but yeah. That sounds like a good idea."

"Oh, wow. I just kinda threw that out there but ok, I'm in," Jake chuckled a bit.

"...and I'll just explain I'm her brother and ask for a new keycard."

"Sounds like a plan. When when doin' it?"

"Uh.. tomorrow if that works for you?" Charlie suggested. 

"Yeah, that works. See you then, bud," Jake patted Charlie's shoulder and left the locker room, leaving Charlie to sit in silence thinking about the whole situation. His hands found his head fairly quickly, and he just slouched over so that his elbows rested on his knees. 

_'This is all my fault. I should've said something sooner,' he criticized himself. 'She's been hurting this whole time and I didn't realize it.'_

He sat there for awhile in his thoughts before eventually getting up to starting to walk of TD Garden.


	4. Caught

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been awhile! I've been pretty busy with school and stuff.
> 
> dt: my friend who encouraged me to pick this series up again, you know who you are :)

Jake was beyond nervous for their confrontation with Raena and Shayne. He had a feeling they were going to walk in on something neither of them were prepared to see. But it didn't matter. What mattered was that Raena needed help and him and Charlie weren't going to sit by and watch it happen any longer.

"I'm going in to try an get another key to her apartment. You can just wait in the car if you want," Charlie told him, unbuckling his seat belt.

"Yeah, I'll let you handle that. Text me when your done."

"Yep," and with that Charlie exited his car and shut the door behind him. Jake could tell Charlie was also very nervous. His shoulders were tense and his voice was shaky. Not that Jake blamed him or even pointed it out. 

As he sat waiting in the car, restlessly scrolling on twitter, he thought of the signs he could've seen earlier from Raena. How she kind of walked funny, how she winced when she got up, how she flinched every time someone unexpectedly touched her. They were so obvious, how hadn't he realized this before? He thought of himself as a failure and a horrible person. He let down the girl that had made him smile constantly. The girl who he kinda, sorta fell for while she was living with them. He thought about-

"I got the key. Let's go," Charlie shook the key dangling from his fingers. Jake huffed out a chuckle and exited the car.

"What do you think we're going to be walking into?" Jake wondered out loud, not really expecting a response from Charlie.

"No idea, man," Charlie said quietly. He ran a hand through his already sweaty hair. He always did that when he was nervous. Wanting to comfort his bestfriend, Jake placed his hand on Charlie shoulder, holding it there for a few seconds without saying anything. Charlie seemed to appreciate the effort though, as he sighed, trying to relax.

* * *

They approached her door quietly, not wanting the couple to hear them. They didn't seem to notice the hockey players' presence, as they both could hear commotion through the other side of the door.

"I didn't give you permission to go have a study date! Let alone with another guy!" Shayne yelled.

"I texted you back when you asked me where I was! And Joshua has been my _friend_ for awhile!"

"You never know when a guy has a crush on you. I've seen the way he looks at you. I want you to stay away from him."

"No! Shayne I can't do this anymore! We're done!" Suddenly, a gasp came from her mouth as a loud slapping sound occurred. "Get away from me! Please!"

This is where Charlie and Jake drew the line and quickly unlocked the apartment door. They stormed in, faces red and noses fuming. Shayne had a hard grip on Raena's arms and she hissed as he pushed her arms back, momentum sending her roughly onto the couch. This was Charlie's final straw as he ran up to Shayne, reaching for the collar of his saggy t-shirt. Still grabbing Shayne by the collar, Charlie pushed him up against the nearest wall. 

Jake approached Raena, who was in tears.

"I'm sorry," was all she could manage to get out before collapsing into Jake's arms, tears streaming quickly down her already red and bruised face. Jake held her strongly, feeling a sense of protectiveness. He had finally gotten her out of harm's way and wanted to keep her that way. To make sure she'd be safe. He rubbed her back soothingly as she continued letting out her long overdue wave of emotions that she had kept locked away for awhile.

"You go near her again and I will end you!" Charlie seethed, his hand still roughly on the collar of Shayne's shirt. Charlie was breathing heavy due to the adrenaline and anxiety of the situation. Shayne raised his hands defensively.

"Alright, alright. Chill out, man. I'll do what you say," he said with a desperate tone in his voice.

Charlie sighed, feeling conflicted knowing how bad this guy had hurt his sister. He knew he should punch him in the face right then and there. But he kept his emotions in check for several reasons. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming his overwhelming anger and fury.

"Charlie?" Jake called from the living room, wondering what his friend was doing. Charlie quickly turned around, thinking something was wrong with Raena, but he was met with the concerned face of Jake and his sister buried into his chest. "You okay?" Charlie nodded before turning back to give one final glare at Shayne. 

"I'm going to pack her bags. Make sure he doesn't try anything," Charlie didn't even meet Jake's eyes as he walked into the bedroom to pack his sisters clothes. Jake sighed as he looked at the still crying Raena in his arms, vulnerable as ever. He looked up and Shayne was approaching them, but not with a face of fury.

"Don't you fucking come near her," Jake hissed and Raena quickly picked her head up, placing her hands in front of her face defensively. Jake took notice and his heart broke, but he had other problems at the moment.

"I just want to say I'm-"

"I don't want to hear it and I don't think she wants to hear it. So you can shove that apology right up your ass and walk away before I get _really_ mad," Jake warned, a deadly look on his face. Shayne once again held up his hands defensively and walked away. Jake sighed a breath of relief. He turned to see Raena staring into his eyes. His heart broke once more at the horrified look and tears still running down her cheeks.

"It's okay, Rae. He's not going to mess with you anymore. I promise to keep you safe. As long as Charlie and I are around we'll make sure he stays out of your way from now on. Okay?" She nodded, a small smile appearing on her face. Jake pulled her into another embrace and they remained that way until Charlie approached them with the bags, ready to go back to Raena's real home. Their apartment.

* * *

A week later and Shayne had been arrested on several charges. She had gotten her justice. She couldn't feel more free. She was ready to move on with her life. Or maybe resume the life she had for ten days. Living with Jake and Charlie was a dream come true then. But things had changed. She just didn't feel right since that night. She felt awkward and embarrassed around the both of them. She felt weak for having her brother and friend save her helpless ass. They kept insisting they wanted and needed to address it. And yeah, they were right. But it didn't make it any less embarrassing having her brother pin her boyfriend -- ex-boyfriend -- up against a wall while she sobbed into a guy she didn't even know that well's chest. 

The boys did everything they could to insist the situation didn't change the way they saw her. They made sure to make her feel extra loved, but at the same time give her space to sort things out. But she closed them out for weeks. And the situation was not getting better. She turned them down to go to any games, she turned them down to go out to dinner with them, she even turned them down to have a movie night in their own living room. All she did was go to sleep, eat, go to class, repeat. She barely talked with them anymore. It saddened the both of them to see her like that. They knew they needed to do something.

"How about we let her go on a shopping spree?" Jake asked as they drove home from practice on a rainy Wednesday afternoon.

"Yeah, maybe." Charlie sighed. "But what she really needs is a talk. We need to _really_ tell her that we have the same opinion on her as we did before. Nothing's changed. I just don't know how. I feel like whenever I talk with her she's listening but never _really_ listening, you know what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, I feel you. Same here. So how do we _really_ tell her?"

"Umm maybe a grand gesture? She likes those. Was always extra like that as a kid," Charlie chuckled.

"Sweet! So what are we thinking?"

"Oh my god. I have the perfect idea!"

* * *

She sighed as she entered the doorway to the apartment. She kicked off her blistering shoes and took a step to the right into the kitchen to get a water bottle. Yet another boring day was coming to an end. This cycle of boredom and misery was really taking a told on her. But she wasn't going to allow herself to spend time with the people she loved out of the embarrassment she felt about herself. That's all they thought of her as. And embarrassment. A weak, puny, little-

_Bark, Bark, Bark!_

Before she could even process, a tiny Boston terrier was making it's way towards her feet, pawing at her leggings as it stood on two legs. It yapped and yapped, tail wagging a million miles a minute. That' s when her two dorks made their way towards her with big, dopey smiles. She couldn't help but chuckle as she bent down to see the puppy.

"Hi, puppy," she cooed, scratching it's head and earning a sloppy kiss on her hands from the pup. She stood up to look at the boys, still wearing the biggest grins on their faces.

"Do you love it? Oh, and it's a he by the way. And I figured you'd want to name him," Charlie spoke with that same smile, switching from looking between Raena and their new furry friend. 

"If this is some sort of pity gift-"

"Hey, the dog is all of ours. I was a terrier once too," Charlie defended himself. "But I noticed you've been distant so I got you someone to keep you company while you sort your thoughts out." Charlie put a bit of hurt into his words as he spoke.

"Charlie, look, I'm sorry I've been distant. But this has been really hard on me. You have to understand that. Both of you. I see the pity looks you give me too, Jake," Raena turned to look at Jake for the first time in this conversation. He wore a look of surprise that she mentioned him.

"I'm sorry for wanting to keep you safe and happy like I promised you? That's all we want, Rae. And we figured he would make you feel happy. This is all for you," Jake explained to her, raising his voice a bit.

"I can't just forget what happened, Jake. Not a dog or Bruins tickets are going to do that. I still feel embarrassed and humiliated-"

"But you don't have to be! Our opinions of you haven't changed and will never change, Rae!"

She took a visible step back as Jake was full on yelling now. No one had yelled at her like that since-

Jake's face softened quickly seeing what he had done. 

"Rae I'm sor-"

"I'm just going to get some fresh air, okay?" She abruptly turned around and headed out the door.

"Rae!" The two called, but it was useless. The nameless dog whimpered at their feet, stressed due to all the commotion.

"Yeah, me too bud," Jake whispered, sighing and rubbing his hands through his hair.


End file.
